


Violets are blue

by errantknightess



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coffee Shops, Flowers, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Mutual Pining, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2016-06-06
Packaged: 2018-07-12 18:08:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7116964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/errantknightess/pseuds/errantknightess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Hey there,” Lavi greeted, heading straight for one of the tall chairs by the counter. As he passed the tables, he noticed with satisfaction that today’s choice of flowers hit the bull’s eye; the room seemed to glow with a pleasant orange warmth wherever he looked.</p><p>“Hi again,” Allen smiled at him over the pie display, and Lavi’s stomach twisted in a way that had nothing to do with hunger. The marigold behind his ear was now a little worse for the wear, the petals crinkled and curling up on the edges – but it still made Allen shine.</p><p>Or maybe it was the other way around.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Violets are blue

**Author's Note:**

> Laven Gift Exchange fic for rosieelfgirl on tumblr.

A brief draught stirred the leaves as it drifted through the flowers on the display, the fresh breeze much welcomed in the close greenhouse atmosphere of the shop. The bell over the front door jingled happily, announcing a customer. Lavi knew exactly who it was even before the light, soft voice called out to him with a greeting; it was a quarter past eight, and Allen was never late.

“Lavi? Are you here?” Allen called again, half-hidden behind the thicket of yuccas on the table in the middle of the floor. Lavi looked up from the geranium he’s been watering and turned to him with a smile much brighter than he normally offered to the customers.

“Hi, Allen. How’s your day?”

“It hasn’t even started yet,” Allen laughed. Despite his words, he was already in uniform – and Lavi couldn’t miss how good he looked in those dress pants and a simple white shirt with the logo of the cafe across the street.

“Then I hope I can make it a good one,” he said, his smile growing fonder still. “What do you want on your tables today?”

Allen looked around indecisively.

“I was hoping you’d give me some ideas… as always. Those peonies I got last time were nice, but they wilted awfully fast. The petals were everywhere, people had to fish them out of their plates.”

“Really? Damn, sorry about that.” Lavi scratched the back of his head and strode over to the pots and vases with cut flowers lining the wall. “I’ll give you something that should last a bit longer. See anything you like?”

“Hmmm…” Allen grabbed Lavi’s elbow and tipped forward to scan the colourful mess before them. “How about these?” he asked, pointing at a bucket full of lilies-of-the-valley. “They’re really lovely.”

“And really poisonous,” Lavi observed, taking hold of Allen’s arm to steady him. “I wouldn’t put them anywhere near food, buddy.”

“Too bad.” Allen straightened himself with a sigh, but a moment later he perked up again. “And what are those yellow ones over there?”

“Marigolds.” Lavi reached over and picked out a bright flower in full bloom to show him. “One of my favourites, actually. Easy to keep and pretty useful. My grandpa used to make all kinds of stuff from them. Worked wonders for my scraped knees when I was a kid.”

“It smells nice.” Allen’s face was suddenly really close as he leaned in, his breath sweeping lightly over Lavi’s hand. “And it looks like a small sun. I like it.”

“That’s great.” Lavi smiled nervously, twirling the stem in his fingers. “So, you want them?”

Allen’s smile was sunny as ever.

“Yes, I’ll take the usual. They’re perfect.”

“Okay… Here.” Lavi tucked the marigold behind Allen’s ear. “Hold this. And now, that’s one, two, three, four…” he counted, feeling a wave of heat creeping up his neck as he bent down over the vase. “Seventeen, one for each table. There you go.” His fingers grazed Allen’s skin as he handed the bouquet over, and he couldn’t even kid himself it was an accident. The scented air around him was too hot and too heavy, and it made his head spin.

“Do you want me to bring you lunch today?” Allen’s voice came to him as if through a thick smoke screen.

“Huh? No, it’s okay,” he answered mechanically, stumbling back to the counter to finish the transaction. “I’ll drop by later. I need to get out of here sometimes.”

“All right. I’ll be waiting.” Another smile, and a moment later Allen was already at the door, turning around to wave at him over the shoulder, the marigold a burning gold against his silver hair. The ringing of the bell echoed through the empty shop. Lavi sighed and glanced at his watch. The lunch break felt unbearably distant.

***

The hours dragged by, punctuated with the buzzing of insects lured in by the heady smells. Lavi could have sworn he had seen more flies than customers. Slow mornings were always a torture, even more so when he had something to look forward to later. With nothing else to do, he fidgeted around the shop, dusting off the waxy leaves of houseplants and rearranging flowers in the vases. At the stroke of noon, he was already outside, locking up the front door with a small piece of paper taped to the glass on the other side: _Be right back_. All that was left now was to cross the street.

The cafe was small and almost as quiet as his shop. He liked it there. The place was always full of light coming in unobscured through the big front windows; the white wooden tables and chairs were simple, yet comfortable, and in one of the corners stood a tall bookcase filled to the brim with old books. Back when the cafe first opened, Lavi used to spend a lot of time in that corner – until, little by little, he found a new favourite spot.

“Hey there,” he greeted, heading straight for one of the tall chairs by the counter. As he passed the tables, he noticed with satisfaction that today’s choice of flowers hit the bull’s eye; the room seemed to glow with a pleasant orange warmth wherever he looked.

“Hi again,” Allen smiled at him over the pie display, and Lavi’s stomach twisted in a way that had nothing to do with hunger. The marigold behind his ear was now a little worse for the wear, the petals crinkled and curling up on the edges – but it still made Allen shine.

Or maybe it was the other way around.

“I see you’re working hard,” Lavi joked, sweeping his eye over the near empty room. He always made sure to come in when the morning rush had died down. That way, he could chat with Allen without disturbing him at the job.

“Shhh, not so loud.” Allen put his finger to Lavi’s lips, looking around with mock horror. “If Lena hears that, she’ll come and find something for me to do.”

Lavi tensed under the touch, his mouth quirking up in a timid smile.

“Sorry, I’ll be quiet now,” he said in a theatrical whisper.

“Good,” Allen whispered back before switching to his normal voice again. “What will it be today?”

“Not sure yet.” Lavi leaned on his elbows to study the menu on the blackboard overhead. “Maybe you can give me some ideas?”

“Our cherry pie is amazing.” Allen gestured to the glass case on his left, the longing in his eyes almost comical. “The peanut butter pecan is great, too, but I’m afraid we’ve run out of ice cream to go with it.”

“And how about something that won’t put me in a sugar coma?”

“Well…” Allen tapped his chin pensively. “There’s that grilled chicken sandwich you like, I can toast it for you. We also have ham and cheese or vegetarian.”

“Thanks, I’ve got enough green stuff at my job,” Lavi laughed. “I’ll take the grilled chicken toast. And a medium latte, please.”

“Coming right up!” Allen turned around to get everything started. Lavi watched him bustle about the coffeemaker with a dull stinging in his throat. His moves were smooth and confident, and his shirt would ride up just a little as he bent down to reach something under the counter. The flower behind his ear wobbled and bobbled with every motion. His hair fell over his eyes and he pushed them back impatiently, too busy to care.

“You should wear hair clips, you know,” Lavi suggested as the white strands slipped back down onto Allen’s forehead.

“Very funny.” Allen puffed at his bangs, without results.

“No, I’m serious. I’ve got some of those tiny ones that I use to keep the orchids upright, you could have them.”

“I don’t need them.”

“They’ve got little sparkly butterflies on them…”

“Here’s your coffee.” Allen slid the steaming cup towards him. “One more word and I’ll charge you extra.”

“Tsk, threatening your customers?” Lavi grinned and ran his hand through Allen’s hair, brushing the bothersome bangs away from his face. “What would Lenalee say if she heard that?”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but you probably deserved it,” a female voice behind him spoke up. Lavi turned around in his chair, his smile unfazed.

“Come on, Lenalee, look at him! He’ll go blind if he doesn’t keep this mop out of his eyes.” He ruffled Allen’s hair to stress his point.

“I’ll go _bald_ if you don’t stop this.”

“Well, that would solve the problem, wouldn’t it?”

“Guys, behave yourselves.” Lenalee shook her head with a laugh. “Allen, don’t you have something in the oven? It’s beeping.”

Allen yelped and threw himself to retrieve the toasts. Lavi reluctantly pulled his hand back; the soft touch of Allen’s hair still ghosted on his fingertips. He took a swig of his coffee and tapped his nails on the counter, his eye darting around the sun-flooded room.

“These flowers look fantastic.” Lenalee followed his gaze as it slid over the tables. “It’s a pleasure doing business with you.”

“The pleasure is mine.” Lavi bowed his head. “Everything for my favourite regulars. Well, my _only_ regulars, actually… But still.”

“Is the business not going well?” Allen asked as he returned to the counter with a plate of toasts. At the worry in his voice, Lavi felt something warm melting in his chest.

“No, it’s fine," he assured quickly and sank his teeth in the sandwich to cover up the embarrassment. “It’s a bit slow right now, but I’m not complaining. Gotta enjoy the peace while I can. The wedding season is just around the corner, and then I’ll be slammed up to my nose, I tell you.”

“That’s great!” Lenalee smiled, her eyes bright and a little misty. “Honestly, I’m a little jealous you get to work with this kind of things. I love weddings. They’re just so beautiful! The flowers, the music…”

“The food,” Allen prompted in a dreamy voice. Lenalee snorted with amusement, the spell broken in an instant.

“Yes, the food too. Though I can’t even imagine eating those amazing wedding cakes. They must take hours to prepare! It would break my heart to ruin such a masterpiece.”

“I’m sure Allen wouldn’t have any qualms,” Lavi observed with a wry smile. In reply, Allen stuck his tongue out and swiped an olive off his plate.

“It’s _food_ , Lena,” he shrugged, popping the olive into his mouth. “It’s meant for eating.”

“You would eat _Venus de Milo_ if it were carved in chocolate!”

“Of course I would! It would only go to waste otherwise. Besides, aren’t the flowers worse? They just die the next day, and they’re not even doing anything useful.”

“How can you say that, Allen?” Lavi clutched at his heart, leaning back in his chair with a comically offended expression. “My flowers aren’t useless! But I agree, getting all those bouquets set up is a waste of time and effort.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re lazy.”

“Not lazy, Al. Intellectual. I can do as much work as anyone else, I just prefer to do it in my head.”

“Because you’re lazy.”

“You know, guys, you two should get married already, too.” Lenalee chuckled, watching this exchange like one would watch an exciting tennis match. “It’s sweet how you bicker like an old couple.”

“We’re– We’re not a couple!” Allen protested quickly – much too quickly to Lavi’s liking; it felt like a lump of ice dropping heavily to the bottom of his stomach. It was true, though, so why did it hurt so much to hear it like this? He shouldn’t care, right?

“Awww, look at you! Red like a beet!” Lenalee cooed with a soft smile. “Say, Lavi, isn’t he cute when he’s blushing?”

“Lena, _I swear_!” Allen squirmed under their glances. Lavi cleared his throat, but the metallic taste of defeat still lingered on his tongue, cold and sour.

“Yeah…” he said slowly, shifting his eye back at Lenalee. “Seriously, though, we’re… Not a couple.”

“Oh. Really?” Her eyes were round with surprise and alarm; at least she had the decency to get uncomfortable about this. “But you’re always… I– I could have sworn you two were together.”

“We’re not.” Lavi shook his head, watching Allen’s posture finally relax a little out of the corner of his eye. “We’re just friends. Really good friends, but… Yeah.”

_That’s all we’ll ever be._

***

Lavi almost expected that Allen wouldn’t show up the next day; after that embarrassing conversation, he really wouldn’t blame him. Still, when the bell over the door chimed at a quarter past eight, his heart somersaulted right into his throat and stayed there as Allen weaved his way to him among the pots and vases.

“Hi, Lavi,” he said, tugging at the collar of his work shirt. “How are you still breathing in here? I’m so hot…”

“Eh, I’m used to it. Comes naturally if you sit here the whole day.” At any other time, Lavi would have mercilessly used this setup to crack a juicy joke or two – oh, this was just too good – but today, he couldn’t risk it.

“You should come in for iced coffee later.” Allen smiled, the corners of his lips twitching a little. He leaned against the counter, picking at his cuff and tapping his foot on the ground. Lavi tried to swallow, but his mouth felt so dry that his tongue stuck to the palate. He was acting so… _normal_. So was that it, then? Were they just going to forget all about it?

“Or… Maybe you could bring me some instead?” he tried uncertainly. As confusing as it was, he wasn’t going to think twice about jumping at the chance offered to him to make things less awkward. He’d rather suck it up that lose Allen as a friend over something like this.

“Sure.” Allen sounded surprisingly relieved. He fidgeted again, digging the toes of his shoe in the grout between floor tiles. “So… Do you have something for me? Flowers, I mean.”

“For you? Absolutely,” Lavi blurted before he could bite his tongue. “Let’s see… I think I’ve got just what you need. Something special.” In a few strides, he crossed the floor and reached up to a narrow shelf over the seeds rack. If this wouldn’t lighten the mood between them, nothing would.

“What _is_ this thing?” The abject horror in Allen’s voice mixed with barely restrained amusement.

“ _Dionaea muscipula_.” Lavi snickered. “Commonly known as the Venus flytrap.”

“Don’t tell me… It eats them? Is this one of those?” Allen leaned closer and poked one of the jagged jaw-like leaves with interest.

“It sure is.” Lavi gently grabbed his hand and pulled it away from the plant. “Don’t touch it.”

“Why, will it bite off my finger?”

“No, but if you trigger it, you’ll just make it waste precious energy for nothing.” Lavi let go of Allen’s hand, only now realizing what he did. Fortunately, it seemed Allen was too focused on the flytrap to even notice.

“Amazing.” Allen’s eyes widened. “And disgusting. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Okay, so how about a cactus?”

“Lavi, I’m serious! Please tell me you’ve got something I can actually put on the tables!”

“Come on, Allen!” Lavi laughed, all too easily falling back into their old routine. “Break the mold! You gotta try something new every once in a while!”

“Oh, really?” Allen stepped up to him and playfully jabbed him in the ribs. “Like what?”

“Like… Buy a cactus.”

“Or…?”

 _Or kiss me_.

“… Or these carnations,” Lavi finished flatly, snapping himself out of it before he managed to run his mouth and ruin everything again. “You haven’t had carnations yet. They’re quite a bomb, if you ask me.”

“Huh?” Allen followed his eye to the vase. “Ah… Yes, they look nice,” he said slowly. “Thanks, Lavi. I’ll take the carnations. Unless… Maybe there’s something else you’d like to give me…?”

Lavi blinked, already halfway through counting out the flowers.

“Why? What’s wrong with carnation? I mean, it _is_ a symbol of socialism, but—”

“Carnation is fine,” Allen stopped him with a sigh. “Sorry, I have to go now. I’ll see you for lunch. Take care.” He grabbed the flowers and hurried out, rustling the leaves as he passed by. For a moment, Lavi sat behind the register with his mouth half-open, staring at the door. Then, he lowered his head, letting his forehead crash into the countertop with a loud bang.

He was really hopeless.

***

Somewhere between another sleepless night and the next, Lavi decided he couldn’t go on like this. Granted, nothing seemed really _wrong_. Allen kept coming to the shop every day like he always has, with his soft smiles and gentle gestures, asking for advice; Lavi would give him suggestions, tips, and impromptu lectures on flower language. They joked, laughed and teased each other, and despite occasional missteps that brought them too close, or words that threatened to say too much, there was nothing to spoil the atmosphere between them. Things haven’t changed.

Except—

Except now Lavi really wanted for them to change.

After letting it eat him away for days on end, it was finally the time to do something about this. It had to be solved – one way or another. Lavi kept repeating that to himself as he glanced nervously between his watch and the small vase of flowers he had set off to the side on the counter. Was this all right? Will Allen like this? He hated to admit, but even though he had sold his friend hundreds of flowers by now, he still had no idea what his favourite kind was – and winging it turned out to be harder than expected. Roses seemed as too bold of a move, and way too cliché; chrysanthemums looked nice, but they’ve always made Lavi think of graveyards – not an ideal accompaniment for love confessions. At last, he had settled on violets; they were simple, but pretty, and noncommittal enough to make sure he won’t make a _complete_ fool out of himself. Now he just had to wait for Allen.

The chime at the door broke the silence like an alarm bell.

“Hi, Lavi.”

“Allen!” Lavi jumped in his seat and stood up immediately to greet him. “Hey, how’s it going?”

“Fine.” Allen shrugged with a smile, but his face fell as soon as he took a closer look on Lavi. “You don’t look too well, though. Are you feeling all right?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Lavi thrust his hands into his pockets, realizing how clammy they suddenly got. “I’m just– I haven’t slept well.”

“I can tell.” Allen raised his hand to trace the dark circle under his eye. Lavi held his breath; it only lasted a moment before Allen pulled away and coughed into his fist, eyes darting to the side, just like many other times in the past week. All of Lenalee’s teasing must have stuck to him more than he’d let on.

“It’s nothing.” Lavi waved his hand and quickly changed the subject. “So, how can I help you today?”

Allen still avoided his eye, looking around the shop with a thoughtful frown.

“Maybe… Something yellow? I remember Lena really liked those marigolds we had a while ago. She said they made the room look sunny.”

“Yellow is a great choice.” Lavi nodded, already making his way across the shop. “How about these daffodils? Are they sunny enough?”

“Definitely.” That might have been, but the daffodils had nothing on Allen’s smile. Lavi felt his knees buckle a bit as he walked back to the register. The violets on the counter seemed to mock him. It was now or never.

“All right then, so there’s that… And these are for you,” he said quickly, grabbing the flowers from the vase and handing them to Allen together with his purchase. Water dripped down from the stems as he held them out while Allen blinked at him with confusion.

“For me? Why– thank you,” Allen stammered at last, taking the flowers from him and immediately burying his nose in them. “Thanks, Lavi. Wow, they smell fantastic.”

“I’m glad you like them,” Lavi managed, his throat clenched so tight it was getting hard to breathe. “Hey, would you—“

The rest of the question was cut off by the merry ringing of the bell. Lavi has never felt quite as close to murder in his entire life; Allen bit his lip, mouthed a silent “see you”, and disappeared out the door, leaving him with a sweet old lady whom right at that moment he hated more than anyone else on the planet.

If Lavi had thought that giving Allen flowers would make things any easier, he couldn’t be more wrong. As the day progressed, he found himself growing more and more restless; by noon, he was jittery like a mimosa. But though his stomach was tied in knots from nerves and hunger, he couldn’t find it in himself to visit the cafe, to face Allen and finally tell him all those things that desperately needed to be said. And when lunchtime passed by and Allen hadn’t come by the shop either, Lavi’s worry bloomed into a full-fledged panic. That was it, then. That’s how it all ended. He screwed up, made things weird and wrecked everything. Good job.

The bitter weight of failure didn’t leave him until the end of the day. He swept through his closing routine without really registering anything he did; as the lights turned off, he spared a quick glance through the glassed door, over the street, at the warm glow in the front windows on the other side. They were still open. He could still go there. But honestly, was there really any point to that…?

Lavi sighed and turned around to get his jacket and the keys. The sooner he gets home, the better. Tomorrow he can figure something out, but right now he needed a rest, he needed to get away from here, away from these suffocating smells, from the lights across the street, and from the jangle of this stupid bell that was starting to drive him crazy.

“It’s closed!” Lavi called, straining the rest of his patience – and then, as he turned to the door, “Oh. It’s you.”

“It’s me,” Allen confirmed, carefully closing the door behind him. “I’m so glad, I was worried you’d have gone home already.”

“I was just heading out.” Lavi stood awkwardly behind the register, keys in hand, peering into the graying room. “Is there something…?”

“Here.” Allen crossed the floor, his hair a white flash against the thicket of dark leaves all around. Something clinked softly on the counter between them. Lavi looked down and blinked.

“Uhhh,” he said eloquently.

“I baked you a cake,” Allen explained, gesturing at the small plate. “You didn’t eat your lunch today, so I hope you’ll like it.”

“Thanks.” The weight on Lavi’s chest somehow felt lighter and heavier at the same time. “I knew you wouldn’t let me starve.”

“I could never.” Allen’s smile lit up the dusk as he whipped out two teaspoons and handed one to him. “Go on, try.”

Lavi returned the smile, shy and trembling, but before his spoon broke the icing, something caught his attention.

“Are these…” He leaned closer, inspecting the cake best as he could in the scarce light; it didn’t matter, anyway – the sweet, airy scent was more than enough. “Are these violets?”

Allen’s head bobbed up and down in an enthusiastic nod.

“You took the violets I gave you…” Lavi said slowly, watching him with a wide eye, “…and baked them into a cake?”

“Remember how you told me to try out new things the other day?” Allen leaned on his elbows, the tip of his nose just inches away from Lavi’s face. “I really wanted to try this. Besides, I didn’t want your flowers to sit useless on the table and die.”

“So you decided to _eat_ them instead?”

“I can enjoy them better this way.” Allen shrugged and tapped him on the forehead with his spoon. “Now, shall we? I’m curious how it came out.”

Lavi laughed under his breath, but obliged. The first bite was a surprise – soft, smooth and a little sour, with a hint of lemon to touch up the stunning sweetness of candied flowers. It tasted like nothing he’s ever tried before.

“Wow, Allen,” he mumbled between one swipe of the spoon and another. “It’s amazing. You’re amazing.” That last part came before he could even think about it, and right then Lavi was really grateful for the safe darkness of the room.

“Thank you.” Allen shifted beside him, his shoulder a warm pressure against Lavi’s arm as he leaned over to reach the plate better. “I couldn’t have done it without you, though.” He fidgeted with his spoon, tapped a nervous rhythm on the porcelain. “You know… There’s one other thing I wanted to try for a while now. I’ve always wondered what it would taste like.”

“Yeah?” Lavi swallowed hard through the thick cream blocking his throat. Allen’s knee knocked into his under the counter, slender fingers found his hand in the darkness, and before Lavi knew it, his own arm circled Allen’s waist to pull him closer and return the embrace. For a split second, their faces lingered impossibly close, and then it was all a haze, soft, sweet and sour, swept with hot breaths and trembling in quiet sighs. Allen’s hair smelled of almonds and vanilla, the scent rising even over the heavy perfume of all the flowers around them. Lavi squeezed his eye shut, feeling his lashes slowly grow damp.

“Lavi? Are you all right?” Allen pulled away as the first tear rolled down between their cheeks.

“Yes,” he answered in a cracking voice, dabbing at the corner of his treacherous eye. “I’ve never been better. It’s just– it’s just hay fever.”

“Right.” Allen leaned in again and kissed the wet, salty trace all the way down to the corner of Lavi’s mouth. “Then we should better get away from all these flowers, don’t you think?”

Lavi smiled against his lips, bumping their foreheads together.

“Good idea. Your place or mine?”


End file.
